Photo: BMW
At the beginning of June, the new BMW 1 Series broke cover as the radically different third generation of the family. Born in 2004, BMW’s hatchback has grown in one of the carmaker’s most successful models and this week, the Bavarians released an extensive set of images showing the brand new interpretation of the car.
The new 1er is the first of its kind to use a front-wheel-drive architecture. Choosing to go this way meant a series of changes had to be implemented, and new capabilities were born.
The new layout translates into a bigger front overhang, but also the creation of extra space on the interior, while maintaining virtually the same footprint as before. The gain in space can mainly be found at the rear, where passengers can enjoy extra space for their heads (19 mm more with the sunroof), knees (33 mm more) and elbows (13 mm more).
Cargo space also increased to 380 liters, or 1,200 liters with the rear seat bench folded down.
To make the front-wheel-drive 1 Series just as nifty as the previous generation, BMW fitted the actuator contiguous wheel slip limitation technology (ARB) taken from the i3 directly in the engine control unit instead of in the control unit for the DSC.
This way, ARB sends information about the wheel slip three times faster than in a conventional system, making the car able to control slip much better than before.
The new 1 Series launches with a choice of three diesel and an equal number of gasoline engines, in either three or four-cylinder configuration. The engines develop from 116 hp on the entry-level 116d to 306 hp on the top of the range M135i xDrive and can be paired to three different transmissions and the four-wheel xDrive system.
Those planning to buy a new 1 Series have to wait until November 2019. Until then, you can enjoy more of the car in the gallery above.
The new layout translates into a bigger front overhang, but also the creation of extra space on the interior, while maintaining virtually the same footprint as before. The gain in space can mainly be found at the rear, where passengers can enjoy extra space for their heads (19 mm more with the sunroof), knees (33 mm more) and elbows (13 mm more).
Cargo space also increased to 380 liters, or 1,200 liters with the rear seat bench folded down.
To make the front-wheel-drive 1 Series just as nifty as the previous generation, BMW fitted the actuator contiguous wheel slip limitation technology (ARB) taken from the i3 directly in the engine control unit instead of in the control unit for the DSC.
This way, ARB sends information about the wheel slip three times faster than in a conventional system, making the car able to control slip much better than before.
The new 1 Series launches with a choice of three diesel and an equal number of gasoline engines, in either three or four-cylinder configuration. The engines develop from 116 hp on the entry-level 116d to 306 hp on the top of the range M135i xDrive and can be paired to three different transmissions and the four-wheel xDrive system.
Those planning to buy a new 1 Series have to wait until November 2019. Until then, you can enjoy more of the car in the gallery above.
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